Safe crossing call at killer Bristol junction

A call has been made for a pedestrian crossing to be installed on an M32 slip road in Bristol after three pedestrians were killed there inside a year.

Three people died in collisions with vehicles as they attempted to walk underneath the motorway flyover between Tesco at Eastgate and Stapleton Road at Junction 2.

The deaths at the Eastville roundabout between March 2007 and March this year were followed by a serious accident on the same slip road, which left a pedestrian with two broken legs.

A sign was installed near Freemantle Gardens to warn pedestrians of the danger earlier this year but Bristol transport campaigner Josh Hart says he has recently witnessed many people ignoring it.

He believes the only way to cut road accidents is to put in a pedestrian crossing as a matter of urgency, an idea which Bristol City Council says it is already considering.

Mr Hart, a masters degree student at the University of the West of England, says he has been told that all three deaths on the slip road involved elderly people.

Among the victims was an 88-year-old man from Fishponds who was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary after being in collision with a black Ford Fiesta in February.

The driver was on the roundabout heading onto the southbound slip road to join the M32 heading towards the city centre when the accident happened. Mr Hart says people living on the Fishponds side of the M32 cross the slip road and walk under the M32 as a short cut to Tesco rather than using the longer way around via the underpass.

He says pedestrians chose to cross the three-lane slip road, where vehicles accelerate up to 60mph, instead of going hundreds of metres out of their way to the dark subway.

Earlier this month, Mr Hart says he counted 20 pedestrians crossing the slip road in a 15-minute period.

He said: "I've been putting pressure on MPs and councillors because people will continue to get killed. It's outrageous.

"A lot of us are outraged that nothing has been done about this already. The tunnel smells of urine and it's not adequate for people to use and the surface route is dangerous."

Bristol City Council launched a full safety review of the crossing arrangements at Junction 2 earlier this year.

CCTV cameras were installed in April to help address security concerns over using the subways.

The council says there have been no reports of serious accidents on the slip road since the sign was installed in March.

It is understood that if a pedestrian crossing is installed, modifications would be made to the slip road to allow vehicles to build up sufficient speed to join the M32 after stopping at the crossing.

Other ideas being considered to increase safety include extra guard railing, changes to road markings and improvements to the pedestrian environment within the roundabout.

Spokeswoman for Bristol City Council, Kate Hartas said: "The council has drawn up a range of options which will be discussed with the Highways Agency.

"These include an option for a pedestrian crossing."